Lu Zuofu 盧作孚

 

Born in Hechuan, Chongqing, Lu Zuofu (1893-1952) is a renowned patriotic industrialist, educationist and social activist in China. Greatly influenced by the Revolution of 1911 and the May 4th Movement in 1919, Lu devoted his whole life to saving the country through industry and education. Known as the pioneer of China's shipping industry, the originally poor young man overcame various difficulties to found Min Sung Industrial Co., Ltd in 1925, the predecessor of today's Minsheng Industrial (Group) Co., Ltd. By 1949, his business boasted more than 150 ships and about 9,000 employees, with investment in more than 70 companies and institutions from different sectors.

Lu's achievements were also seen in his success in developing rural and backward Beipei near Chongqing into a modern area in only few years, building well-paved roads, a research institute, schools, factories, hospitals and gardens. During the anti-Japanese war period, Lu's company helped transfer more than 1.5 million people and 1 million tons of important materials to safer places. In 1938 alone, the company helped transport nearly 100,000 tons of important materials critical to industrial re-building from Yichang, Hubei to Chongqing.